Child Abuse Cases

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The events described in the following report began over a year ago. However, we did not receive correspondence with details regarding the court victory until late April 2020. You are about to read a disturbing account of exactly how representatives and elders of Jehovah’s Witnesses tried to intimidate and frighten a child in order to regain control over the adult members of a local Kingdom Hall. Their story follows – exactly as reported to us by the victims…

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In case you missed this when it was first released, Jeff Truesdell reported in People Magazine on January 13, 2020, that Oxygen Channelwas scheduled to present a new two-part documentary that examines alleged child abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses and covered up by the Watchtower. “The Witnesses” premiered Saturday, February 8 and 9, 2020. Trey Bundy appeared in the documentary.

The Watchtower has a history of criticizing other beliefs – calling them “false religions.” But the Watchtower has had innumerable changes in policy, doctrines, treatment of its members, and preaching methods during the past 150 years. It’s most prominent leaders promoted failed prophecies that “Armageddon …

The following article was first published in August 2017 at medium.com/@r.m.weisgerber and was brought to our attention some time ago. We wanted to share it with our readers because it describes the experiences and feelings of growing up in a JW family from a child’s …

Montana court reverses $35 Million Jehovah’s Witness case. Jehovah’s Witnesses held to be non-mandatory reporters. Watchtower reverses its fine. The Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously reversed $35 million in damages against the Jehovah’s Witnesses, ruling the church did not violate Montana’s mandatory reporting statute when …

In a news article published by The Belfast Telegraph and reprinted by Moose Gazette on November 27, 2019, reporter Charles Henry reported that “A woman abused as a child by a fellow Jehovah’s Witness during Bible study classes bravely spoke out about her “life-wrecking experience.” …

NBC NEWS in Yakima, Washington reported that “A man who pleaded guilty to raping two underage girls he met at the Jehovah’s Witness congregation they all belonged to has been sentenced to five years in prison. Elihu Rodriguez, 32, of Yakima, Washington, was given five …

The limits of religious freedom: America must come to grips with when faith groups limit personal liberty — “When Pastor Robert Jeffress, a member of President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board and the White House Faith Initiative, recently dismissed climate activist Greta Thunberg by saying that rainbows …

It’s a rare week when a new case of child abuse or rape among Jehovah’s Witnesses isn’t reported somewhere in North America. That’s in spite of new court cases and successful convictions every few months that are destroying Watchtower’s reputation. The following report comes from …

Sometimes you have to speak up and speak out when you come across a news article or a TV program that gets everything wrong. What follows is a case of an article whose author not only got the story wrong but just about everything else …

GOOD NEWS!!! California’s Governor Gavin Newsom announced on October 13, 2019 that he signed AB 218 into law. Soon California’s childhood sexual assault survivors will have a three-year window from Jan. 1, 2020 until Dec. 31, 2022, for the revival of past claims to file …

Dutch News announced in January 2019 that Utrecht University would be launching an independent inquiry into sexual abuse by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to the report, this is just the latest in a series of multiple investigations focused on the Watchtower organization and religion in …

On September 20, 2019, the Fresno Bee reported that a 45-year-old Fresno, California Jehovah’s Witness pleaded “no contest” on Friday to charges he sexually assaulted a young girl from his church who was only 17 years old. The man was identified as Martin Phillip Ramos. …

Please spread the word to child abuse survivors in California that AB 218 will be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature according to the bill’s history. It is hard to believe that it passed the State Senate and then was quickly sent to the …

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / Posted Sep 13, 2019 12:34 pm PDT /BILLINGS, Mont. — An attorney for the Jehovah’s Witnesses asked the Montana Supreme Court on Friday to reverse a $35 million verdict against the church for not reporting a girl’s sexual abuse to …

Legal Newsline reported that a California appeals court affirmed a $4 million judgment against the nation’s governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The ruling was in favor of a woman who claimed she was molested as a child by an elder. In its 44-page opinion issued …

Roger Bentley (SCAARS) recently sat down with Hearst Television’s Chief National Investigative Correspondent, Mark Albert, in connection with a year-long investigation of sex abuse allegations and cover-ups in the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization. [We reprint the following articles with permission:] …

On August 9, 2019, Jules Johnston of The Brussels Times reported that “No fewer than 90 victims of sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation in Belgium have been discovered over a six month period, according to an association for victims. The organization “Reclaimed Voices” …

The Zalkin Law Firm P.C. has filed a new lawsuit in New York on behalf of two childhood sexual abuse victims naming Jehovah’s Witness Governing Body members and other empowered and responsible individuals within the Watchtower organization as defendants. The Watchtower has a long history …

Two former Jehovah’s Witnesses claim the church looked the other way when they were sexually abused as children for years — and now plan to sue under a landmark state law that takes effect this week. Lawyers for Heather Steele, 48, and John Michael Ewing, …

Sputnik News in Sweden reported in late July 2019 that Jehovah’s Witnesses “run a multi-million dollar film industry with the purpose of specifically reaching out to children. This is despite being convicted in a district court for showing films that have not been approved by …

We recently posted Watchtower’s appeal in response to the court’s judgment in favor of the plaintiff. The following post provides the Missoulian’s (the local newspaper) exceptional review and report of the local response to that filing. We rarely see such quality and thoroughness from small …

If you’ve been visiting websites like WatchtowerDocuments.org that focus on child abuse and recent court cases, then you’ve already met Frederick McLean. In fact, his photo appeared briefly in Barbara’s recent YouTube video. Photos of him working on high-performance race cars have appeared on many …

In mid-April (2019), Barbara released a YouTube video that tried to clarify the Watchtower’s changing “Two Witness Rule.” Almost immediately upon its release, dozens of current and former Jehovah’s Witnesses questioned the legitimacy of Barbara’s understanding of the May 2019 Watchtower magazine article that announced …

Kristin Zambo, a reporter for the Rockford, Illinois Register Star, reported in late January 2019 that a county jail inmate filed a federal lawsuit to have the right to receive Watchtower literature and religious materials available to him on tablet computers. He filed the complaint …

The Sacramento Bee reported on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, that “A procession of sexual assault victims urged the California State Senate to pass a law requiring priests and other religious leaders to report child abuse, ending a legal exemption that allows them to keep information …

From the Board of Directors of “Stop Child Abuse – Advocates for Reform and Safety (SCAARS)”: Concerning recent reports of the use of “stolen” database documents to expose hidden allegations of child sexual abuse, the following is our declaration: …

The following article was written by Harvinder Singh, (BA, MA University of Birmingham, UK) and was published on the SCAARS.com website on November 16, 2018. We feel that it has special value and merit and should be read and considered by our readers. Please note that most of …

For the very first time, Leah Remini and Mike Rinder met with former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In their special 2-hour episode, they invited a panel of contributors to open up and share their personal stories of growing up in the secretive Watchtower organization. …

On October 24, 2018, the Puerto Rico’s Telemundo Channel posted a 45-minute news variety show called “Entretenimiento Boricua” (slang for “Puerto Rican Entertainment”). It featured a 23-minute segment about Jehovah’s Witness child sex abuse (with a focus on policy) as told in interviews. …